Improvement in apparatus for the manufacture of gas



A. DUCHESNE.

APPARATUS FDR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS. v No.179,005. Patented June20,1876.

I-LFETERS. PHOTO-LTHOGRAFHER,-WASH)NGTDN, D C.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFIC A ARMAND DUoHEsNE, oF SE RA ING, BELGIUM.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FoR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,005, dated June 20,1876; application filed 7 October 29, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, ARMAND 'DUoHEsNE, of Seraing, in the Kingdom ofBelgium, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Apparatus forthe Manufacture of Gas, which improvement is fully set forth in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of theapparatus which I use in carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is a planviewof the retort detached. Fig. .3 is a cross-section thereof, in theplane of the line 00 x,Fig. 2.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts. This invention relates toa process of manufacturing gas for illuminating and heating purposesfrom hydrocarburets, and to an ap paratus for carrying such process intoeffect. The natureof my improved apparatus consists in anair-tightreservoir for holding the hydrocarburets in aliquid state, inconjunction with a retort adapted to receive the metallic bath, thereservoir communicating with the retort by apipe, which is provided witha stop-cock, in order to permit of controlling the flow of thehydrocarburets. A spout, emptying within and near the bottom of theretort, is affixed to the pipe connecting the reservoir and the retort;hence, the hydrocarburets, when allowed to flow from the reservoir intothe retort, are caused to discharge directly into the metallic bath, andafter having been reduced to vapor by the action of the bath to passthrough the latter upward.

The pipe which connects the reservoir and the' retort is provided with asafety-valve, which automatically regulates the pressure of the vaporsformed in the spout in the retort. From such connecting pipe, moreover,extends a branch pipe, which communicates with the reservoir above thelevel of any liquid hydrocarburets which may be poured therein, for thepurpose of equalizing the pressure of the air above and below theliquid, when the reservoir is made air-tight.

The main disadvantages of the various processes of manufacturing gashitherto used, and

which are based on the principle of passing vapors or a gaseous currentthrough heated retorts, are as follows: The circumference of the gaseouscurrent isliable to be overheated,

while the temperature of the central part of such current is too low toallow the decomposition of the vapors to be complete. It follows that acomparatively poor quality of gas is obtained. A voluminous deposit ofcarbon, moreover, is formed on the'inside of the retort, which preventsthe easy transmission of heat, and at the same time a large amount ofcoal-tar is produced, the result of which is that frequent and difficultcleansing of the retort is necessary. These disadvantages are obviatedby my invention. 4

1 will now describe in detail my improved apparatus for manufacturinggas, represented in the accompanying drawing.

The letter A designates a vertical cast-iron retort, which is partiallyfilled with molten lead or other metal, to form a metallic bath, thelead being preferably molten and kept in a molten state by heating theretort, and tothis end the latter is placed over a furnace, B. Theobject of only partially filling the retort A with the metallic bath isto obtain a space, 0, in the upper part of the retort for theaccumulation of vapors, and which is referred to at another part of thisspecification. The retort A communicates with a reservoir, D,

which-is intended to hold the hydrocarburets,

which I use in a liquid state, such hydrocarburets being subsequentlyreduced to vapor. I prefer to construct the reservoir D so that it canbe made air-tight. To connect the reservoir D with the retort I use apipe, E, which is provided with a stop-cock, a, by which the flow ofliquid from the reservoir to the retort is governed. To the lower.end-of the pipe E 1s affixed a spout, F, which extends verticallythrough the retort A, and is so adjusted therein that its lower or openend is situated a short distance fromthe bottom. The lower part or endof the spout F is provided with holes I), and is made to flareoutwardly, as shown. At a suitable part of the pipe E is secured asocalled safety-valve, G, in any suitable manner, the object of suchvalve being to permit of automatically regulating the pressure of thehydrocarburet vapors, which are formed in the spout F by the reductionof the hydrocarburet liquid to vapor, as hereinafter described. Theletter H designates a branch pipe, which extends from the pipe E, and isconnected to the upper part of the reservoir D-that is to say, to a partof the reservoir which is above the level of any hydrocarburet liquidthat may be poured therein.

This pipe H extends in the present example from that part of the pipe Econtaining the safety-valve G; but it maybe connected to any other partof such pipe, provided the connection is made below the stop-cock a. Thebranch pipe H is provided with a stop-cock, c. is opened and the cook ais closed, while the reservoir D is made air-tight, an equalization ofthe pressure of the air above and below the liquid in the reservoirtakes place; and if the cook a is then opened, so as to allow the liquidto flow from the reservoir to the retort, such flow of the liquid takesplace simply by the action of its own weight. In order to enable theoperator to observe when the liquid flows through the pipe E, and theextent of this flowing, a glass tube, I, is arranged in the pipe for apart of its length in any suitable manner.

In carrying out my invention I fill the reservoir D with a suitablehydrocarburet, and then hermetically close the reservoir. The cocks c dare then opened for the purpose of equalizing the pressure above andbelow the liquid in the reservoir. I then open the cook a, whereby theliquid is allowed to flow from the reservoir D into the upper part ofthe tube F upon thesuri'ace of the molten metal therein. By the contactof the liquid with the metallic bath hydrocarburet vapors are formed inthe spout F, whose pressure is regulated If this stopcock 0 V by thesafety-valve G. By the hydrocarburet vapors the metal in the spout iscompressed to the lower end thereof, when'the vapors issue from thelower end of the spout or the perforations b, and if fromthe latter avery uniform division of the vapors'takes place.

The hydrocarburet vapors are thus caused i to penetrate the metallicbath in the retort, and to pass through the same upward, when the vaporsare collected in the space 0, and thence conducted by a nozzle, J, to anapparatus, such as generally used in the manufacture of gas.

By the passage of the hydrocarburet vapors through a metallic bath auniform decomposition thereof is insured; moreover, the retort is notrusted, and the production of coal-tar is reduced to a minimum, whilethe production of gas is increased.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isr Thecombination of the retort A with a vertical tubular-shaped bottom forcontaining molten metal, and the vertical tube F, in which thehydrocarbon vapors are generated, communicating with a supply-tank, D,and extending downward to near the bottom of the retort, to distributethe vapors generated through the body of the molten metal, and insurethorough destructive distillation, substantially as described.

A. DUCHESNE.

Witnesses:

VICTOR B. BOUGHER, E. HUMMER.

